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How have all my good chums been doing?

Existent and not using these fora.

Gabriel Rubira June, 10th, 2009
Donnie Darko Final Essay

“Donnie Darko” is the penultimate version of the classic time honored tale evolving teen angst and time travel. The ultimate being Back to The Future, a film which “Donnie Darko” cleverly references in one of its scenes. The film is a cleverly written look into one boys esoteric journey of self discovery, dealing with the struggles of being raised by parents who struggle to understand him, his unwilting urge to rile against popular perception, self doubt and being aroused by “Married With Children”. A formula for success if I ever did hear one.

Donnie Darko starts out with an ominous shot of the story's main character Donnie, sitting at the top of a mountain overlooking nothing in particular, one rousing bicycle riding/ character introducing scene later featuring Echo and The Bunnymen's “The Killing Moon” (an interesting analogue considering that the main antagonist in Donnie Darko is a bunny man who speaks with an unnerving echo) later we arrive at the kitchen table. An important scene that introduces us to the personalties of the Darko family. The scene consists of a conversation typical of a slightly dysfunctional family. Maggie informs her father, Eddie, that she will not be voting for the political candidate of his favor. The conversation quickly degrades, involving crass terminology like “squeeze one out” in regards to Maggie's future birthing prospects. Which prompts Donnie to return with mean spirited and sarcastic comments explaining his dissatisfaction with the expensive therapy his parents have (I'm assuming) forcibly made him attend. They even use the word “fuckass”, Norman Rockwell eat your heart out!

After Donnie's angsty rebellious persona has been well established (he called his mom a bitch!) the story takes off, Donnie begins to have hallucinations evolving a dude in a bunny suit named Frank. Frank informs Donnie that in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds is when the world will end. Well, not really the world. But Donnie's world sure enough. The real mystery begins as you find out that a sizable piece of an airplane has mysteriously crashed through the Darko household and landed in Donnie's room. Donnie narrowly escapes death by waking up from his hallucination filled nightly escapades in a golf course. The long course no doubt a visual metaphor for the long journey ahead of Donnie as he unravels the happenings to come. The next day at the bus stop you're introduced to Donnie's two knucklehead friends, who are largely unimportant and the slightly more significant Cherita Chen. After her timid, yet remarkably loud and annoying character is established the kids go to school. Where you meet Karen Pomeroy, a high school teacher struggling to endow some meaningful messages on her students but is constantly met back with uninspired answers and dazed looks. Her smarmy attitude and book learning past has earned her the ill will of co-worker Kitty Farmer. This scene also introduces the films main love interest: Gretchen Ross, a recently transfered student with an angsty dark angst ridden past filled with dissatisfying family situations like her step dad stabbing her mom several times forcing her to move and change her name. She is prompted by smarmtastic Karen to chose a seat next to the boy she thinks is cutest, which of course is Donnie.

Donnie continues to have odd speculative world ending hallucinations featuring Frank in full bunny suit attire, this time his sleepwalking antics don't result in a quirky golf course sleeping fiasco. Instead whilst in a trance like state Donnie bursts a water mane at his highschool, forcing the school to shut down. Which leads to Cherita getting bullied at the buss stop, but more importantly character development. Whilst walking home after being informed of the greatest news his idiot friend has ever heard, Angst ridden Donnie stumbles upon Gretchen being sexually harassed by two of the most bully looking bullies ever. If I recall correctly one of them even has his hair gelled back and a switchblade, classic. Donnie informs Gretchen of the best news Donnie's friend has ever heard and after one failed attempt to make Darko flinch by greaseball mcbullypants they're walking together alone. During the ensuing conversation Gretchen unloads some angst, emotional baggage, angst, about her step dad and current angsttastic situation. Donnie who had just seconds ago playfully admitted to having emotional problems quickly tries to wipe the egg from his face and suggests that they start dating, and for no readily apparent reason she says yes. Maybe she was in need of someone to be their for her in this tough time, starting over in a new town, attempting to deal with her tortured past and the problems of adolescence and maybe Donnie saving her from the jerkwads and the bus stop reminded her that not all guys are quad-stabbing step dads. Maybe, but its a lot easier to assume she's a whore. In any case the scene ends with Donnie angstily perturbed at the phrasing of his impromptu proposal.

Afterwards an investigation ensues at his highschool as people attempt to match a students handwriting to the spray paint message "they made me do it" which Donnie left outside the front doors after busting the water mane and beheading some statue. An act that somewhat implied that he might have super powers while possessed, although this is barely elaborated on any further and not really important, in fact I don't even know why I mentioned it. Probably to fill space, just like this sentence. This one too. As it turns out greaseball bully boy is under suspicion for the incident and thinks Donnie had something to do with it. Later that day a grand auditorium sized PTA meeting is being helled as Kitty Farmer attempts to remove the smut that Karen Pomeroy is filling everyones children with from the school. She propriates a theory that the book Karen is having her students read is the spark that lit this flame of aggression against the school. During her insanity ridden speech Donnie's mother informs her that the PTA doesn't ban books and Karen informs Kitty of the apparent irony in the book. But nay-sayers be damned! Kitty won't get logic and reason get in the way of her self satisfying crusade to be praised for ridding the town of smut, she quickly fires back with petty insults like "Go back to grad school!". Take that, you education having so and so! This scene is instrumental in establishing the character of Kitty Farmer as you can already tell that the student teacher relationship between this nonsensical family values oriented house wife and angst ridden teen Donnie cant be anything but confrontational.

This confrontation is brought to our attention when the movie introduces the inspirational speaker, and for the time being unbeknown to everyone, pedophile who is operating a child pornography ring. Who goes by the name of Jim Cunningham, his teachings greatly influence Kitty Farmer's lesson plan. As she often shows his self help videos and at one point teaches an interactive lesson placed upon one of the guiding principles of Jim Cunningham's videos. Which is that all negative action stems out of what he believes to be the strongest human emotions fear and love. Kitty farmer instructs the students to read a short passage explaining a situation evolving decision making and place the story on the side of a chart with one end displaying fear and the other love. Donnie explodes at his teachers oversimplification on the spectrum of human emotion (how dare she not factor in angst!) , insisting that she's ignoring a large amount of other factors that determine decision making. This confrontation leads to Donnie yelling expletives at her, which leads her to questioning the parenting skills of Mama Darko. Which is a set up for some glorious deliverance of come uppings near the end of the movie.

In the midst of all this Donnie's therapist is delving deaper in the hypnosis as a therapeutic method of sussing out Donnie's issues and hallucinations, which leads to odd sexual situations (tension?). Donnie's hallucinations are getting more serious, no longer just spacing out at night time when no one else is awake, he starts having in depth conversations with Frank who hints that he could do what ever he wants. I'm assuming this is because of the time hole he opened by surviving the plane crash when he was supposed to die. Kind of like Jhonny The Homocidial Maniac, but Donnie has none of this instead he brushes up on time travel theory from reading a book surprisingly penned by crazy "Grandma Death", a spaced out character by the name of Roberta Sparrows who does nothing but rub her hair against carpets and check the mail daily. Whilst reading the book Donnie gets the inkling that he should visit Mrs. Death, but it is later revealed that he is apprehensive because he wishes to remain in denial about the very serious situation he is slowly unraveling involving him and time travel (and angst). From reading her books and having conversations with his science teacher Donnie figures that he is being shown the path that his is to fallow that corrects the error in space time, his teacher believes that the adherence of a path would allow one to avoid it. But Donnie has not of this probably because he's damn curious about what the hell is going on.

Donnie continues to have serious romantic hallucination and time travel issues as the bunny in his head instructs him to burn down the house of Jim Cunningham, which he does and all in time to get back to the theater to finish off his date with Gretchen. Just prior Frank had finally taken off his mask revealing his left eye is in serious risk of becoming infected and also shows Donnie a hole in space and time. The next day Jim Cunninghams house burning ordeal has revealed him by way of police search, to be a pedophile involved in kiddy porn, not cool at all bro. Kitty Farmer, who had based the very philosophy of her life as an educator and largely as a person around Jim is naturally devastated. Insisting that this is all some kind of conspiracy set up scenario to destroy a good man's reputation for no readily apparent reason. good on you Kitty don't let common sense and reason deter you from your attention whoring shenanigans! Even in her emotionally wrecked state the ever vigilant Kitty Farmer decides to be the sole champion of Jim Cunningham embarking on a campaign to restore his good name. This leads to some major crow eating as she essentially begs on her hands an knees for Mrs. Darko to chaperon her daughters dance team on an important gig.

This is where things get seriously real, Donnie's sister gets into her college of choice, they throw a party, Donnie and Gretchen totally do it and realizing what little time he has left to understand the complex trappings of his time travel dilemma he races off to Grandma Death's house. During the scene where Donnie, Gretchen and his two friends race off to Death's house his bicycle is the only one without a safety light, no doubt subtle imagery indicating that Donnie's light has all but faded and he wont be making it past the night. Donnie runs into thugs at Mrs. Death's house gets into a med street brawl, as the thugs split for an approaching car, Gretchen and Donnie remain on the floor. Gretchen gets run over and dies, and it a fit of rage Donnie caps the perpetrators who were on their way to his party. In fact one of them was Frank, who is also Maggie Darko's boyfriend. This reveals who Frank was coming from the screwed up future that involved Donnie living directing him in ways that would reset everything. Donnie fallows directions and sacrifices himself to the universe portal and in tern brings everything back to the correct order, where he dies in the plane accident and everyone else is alive and well.

The movie ends with all the important characters having close up face shots, most of them crying there is much speculation as to what this scene entails exactly, I think that everyone emerges from their sleep with a dream like remembrance of the alternate time line events envloving Donnie and his hallucinations. Frank is shown rubbing his left eye as if he remembers somehow being shot, Kitty is shown crying as if she is aware that she has devoted her life to an immoral pedophile. Jim Cunningham is shown, either guilty about being a sicko, or chilled with the dream remembrance of the alternate time line where he was arrested for being a sicko. That all makes well enough sence, but the last scene where Gretchen waves to Donnie's mother kind of like they know each other makes none. I didn't get it at all, if everyone is left with remnants of the alternate time line in their memory (like my brilliant theory dictates) they still never met each other. Maybe its just a random act of compassion or whatever, who knows.

People have told me that I'll find out if I watch the DVD directors cut with the commentary track, but I think its kind of better left with the speculation. I'd like to imagine that the director/writer (who I think is the same person) put it their just to mess with people, all the other riddles have a logical closure point, except for that one. Perhaps a subtle commentary on the nature of things, for nothing is wholly beautifully. Even the greatest works of art have slight imperfections, perhaps its those imperfections that make us all human... ANGST!

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